Scenes from St. Patrick's Day: The Irish Channel's Piper

By
Fritz Hahn

Mike Scott performs on H Street NW. (Fritz Hahn/washingtonpost.com)

3:30 p.m.: The Irish Channel

Inside the Irish Channel, crowds were listening to Irish-born troubadour Brian Gaffney sing ballads and play acoustic guitar. Out on the sidewalk, kilted bagpiper Mike Scott was in the middle of his rounds, serenading groups of tourists and office workers running errands. Scott, who has been playing the pipes for 33 years, says he gets "lots of calls" around St. Patrick's Day. His day started around 8 a.m., and it'll last until midnight. "I've played a private school, I'm on my way to a law firm. I play in different places around town." He performed at the Irish Channel from 1:30 to 3:30, and will be back from 6 to 8. After that, it's off to the bars of Georgetown.